What's The Cheapest Way to Connect My Desktop Drives to My Laptop?

AlmightyBeing on 28/03/2019 - 12:40
Last edited 28/03/2019 - 12:40

So I recently bought a thunderbolt 3 compatible laptop and I'm getting rid of my desktop, the one remaining factor is my storage drives. I have 2 hdd's and 2 ssd's (one is nvme), I am most likely going to be able to slim it down to one hdd and and the nvme drive that would constantly be set up in my docking station (with the other 2 packed away for extra storage if needed in the future. Note:nvme has larger capacity than the Sata ssd).

So with these two drives, what would be the cheapest way to connect them to my laptop without hindering their performance (no point connecting an nvme drive if it's just going usb 2.0 speeds)?

Note: my laptop has 2x thunderbolt 3 ports and a USB 3.0 port. I also have a type c to 4x usb 3.1 gen 2 adapter coming soon.

Computing Computer Computer Component Hard Drive Laptop

Comments

  • aarn on 28/03/2019 - 13:45

    SSD will connect via SATA to usb lead, coast from $4, search worldwide on ebay etc. HDD will need to be powered up, you'll need the 12V DC power source for an external HDD. You can remove the SATA + power interface from a used exHDD case. That lot will cost ~ $20.

  • scrimshaw on 28/03/2019 - 13:50
    +2

    A Basic hard drive dock will set you back around $20. That's for a no-name generic one (which I don't recommend, because you run the risk of data loss).

    Dual docks with 2 slots for 3.5" and 2.5" are around $50, and that's USB 3.0, if you want USB 3.1 Gen1 support that might run up to $100. e.g SilverStone TS12C

    • AlmightyBeing on 28/03/2019 - 17:31

      Usb 3.0 and 3.1 gen1 are the same usb type. When they realised usb 3.1 gen 2 they relabelled it. I've been looking into the docks but I can't find one that supports m.2

  • Diji1 on 28/03/2019 - 14:31

    I've had a lot of issues with cheap USB 3 enclosures not working properly. Don't know if premium price enclosures work better but I suggest avoiding the cheapest ones.

  • jparga on 28/03/2019 - 15:04

    bought an astone dock in msy…..not a single issue with disk or dock….cheap

    • AlmightyBeing on 28/03/2019 - 18:01

      I tried searching for them and couldn't find any available. What model do you have and when did you get it?

  • epicttiimm on 28/03/2019 - 17:34

    To be honest no suggestions here make use of the fact that you not only have an NVME SSD but also Thunderbolt 3 on your laptop. A Thunderbolt 3 enclosure will allow you to maximise the throughput from your SSDs (bear in mind TB3 vs USB3 is 40gbps vs 5gbps). It is also expensive. So its up to you whether cost or speed is more of a priority for you.

    • AlmightyBeing on 28/03/2019 - 17:43

      Usb 3.1 gen 2 is 10gbps, I am not sure what the speed of my drive is but that wouldn't bottleneck an nvme drive too much right?

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